The Fox Theatre in Boulder, CO holds a lot of memories for The String Cheese Incident and their fans. Natives to Colorado, Cheese played there many times in their earlier years, even recording a full length live album at the famed Boulder venue. Though the last Incident at the Fox was in 2004, it was clear that the band was more than eager to get the show grooving when they hit the stage last night.

The band came out on stage with a unique format, performing in a mostly-acoustic setup that had Bill Nershi on acoustic guitar, Michael Kang on mandolin, Kyle Hollingsworth on piano and drummers Michael Travis and Jason Hann on percussion. Though Keith Moseley opted for an electric bass, the full effect of the acoustic format was certainly a wonderful complement to the show’s intimate setting. You can see their opening number, “Chili Dawg,” in the video below.

By the end of the set, the band had donned their traditional instruments and went all out for a set closing “Rosie.” Check out a clip of that jam, below.

@sci_official at @foxtheatreco #25years #liveforlivefox #liveforlivesci #rosie #iknowwhoyouare

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After the stripped down Cheese offering, the band pulled out yet another surprise when they announced that they would be performing their 1997 live album, A String Cheese Incident, in its entirety. Recorded nearly 20 years prior to the day (the original performance was 2/27/97), this throwback was a perfect choice for the Boulder show. You can see the opening number, “Lonesome Fiddle Blues,” streaming below.

The set continued with tons of classic Cheese favorites, including “Little Hands > Dudley’s Kitchen” and tracks like “Rhythm of the Road” and “How Mountain Girls Can Love.” The set included the band’s first “Pirates” since 2011 (!), as well as relative rarity “Wake Up,” before closing out with two favorites in “Lands End” and the recently revived “San Jose.” The band would close out the night with an encore of Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way,” sending fans home happy with a great performance.

If this is what the 25th anniversary at the Fox is going to be like, we can’t wait for what the venue has in store all month long! You can see photos from the show below, courtesy of Elliot Siff Photography.

Setlist: The String Cheese Incident | The Fox Theatre | Boulder, CO | 3/3/17

Set One: Chili Dawg, White Freightliner Blues, Lost, Don’t It Make You Wanna Dance -> Born On The Wrong Planet, Looking Glass -> Sweet Spot, Rosie

Set Two: Lonesome Fiddle Blues, Little Hands -> Dudley’s Kitchen, Rhythm Of The Road, How Mountain Girls Can Love, Pirates, Wake Up, Lands End -> San Jose

Encore: Walk This Way